Speedrun My Heart
by TramzIsLife
Summary: Truman and Bramz have been friends for years. They never expected that to change. But a recent shift in feelings from Truman may lead to a confession at AGDQ which threatens to shake their friendship to the core. Will these speed-runners ever figure out their complicated relationship? Will love survive or will love die?


Truman was sitting in his room at college surveying the mess he created. Clothing, accessories, and other misc. items were strewn across his bed and empty suitcases were on the floor in front. He was in the middle of packing but was far from done. If he was going on any vacation, it wouldn't have mattered, but this vacation was special, important. It was Awesome Games Done Quick, or AGDQ for short.

AGDQ was a gaming marathon to raise money for charity. It consisted of a large amount of speed runners submitting runs to be selected for the marathon and then running it, livestream style, for hundreds of thousands of people. It and SGDQ (Summer Games Done Quick) were run by , one of the biggest streaming websites on the Internet, and they were probably the biggest highlights of his year. The events were the one place he felt like he belonged, and it was a great feeling. He considered himself lucky to be part of such an amazing community and was glad that his Super Mario World, or SMW speedrun streams had helped him garner such a diverse pool of viewers. Even more, he was glad he decided to start streaming because it helped him really break out of his shell and make tons of amazing friends…especially Bramz.

Truman felt a sigh flutter from his lips as the thought of Bramz entered his mind. Bramz was probably one of his best friends. Hell, probably the closest person in the world to him. He never expected for a moment when they first met as acquaintances of the same speedrun game to connect so well or for them to become such good friends. At the current point of his life, he figured he talked to Bramz more than he talked to his own parents. He knew he could trust Bramz with anything…well, almost anything. He couldn't trust Bramz with his feelings. His deepest, darkest feelings.

Truman loved Bramz. There were no if, ands, or buts about it. He wasn't sure exactly when his feelings for the curly haired stud muffin started. Was it during one of their late night conversations? Or maybe during one of the GDQs where they sat at lunch listening to one of Frozen's college frat stories and their eyes locked across the table and burned with the passionate fire of a thousand suns? Maybe it was during one of the times they both spent ripping on Aaron for not streaming as much as he used to. Or maybe during one of the times Bramz had come crying to him after his ex-girlfriend broke up with him. The when didn't really matter as far as Truman was concerned. The only thing that mattered was that there was a special place in his heart for the adorkable weirdo and there wasn't anything he or anybody could do to change it.

Truman tried his best to be careful. He didn't want anyone in the speedrunning community to know how he truly felt deep down inside his soul. He disguised his affection for Bramz with casual insults, jabs, and other things which made their relationship seem normal and just not as affectionate as he would have liked. He knew they wouldn't understand and they would just judge him. He couldn't let them know, least of all let Bramz know. It would be disastrous.

Truman had thought about opening up to Bramz and telling him how he really felt. He didn't see a problem, because it wasn't like Bramz didn't know everything else about him. Bramz knew about all of his awkward moments and embarrassing stories. Bramz knew about the first time he shaved, the first time he had a crush on someone else, and his first kiss – which, to the present day, still made him blush just thinking about it. So why did the thought of him spilling his guys and letting his cute angry friend know how he truly felt make him choke harder than Aaron at 96-exit attempts?

Maybe because he knew it was complicated. Bramz wasn't single, he was with this new girl, Kylie. God she was pretty. Truman knew that even if he felt like he would be better for Bramz, he loved her and wouldn't leave her…least of all for him. It sucked.

Truman had tried to move on but it only complicated how he felt further. He had enjoyed his attempts at dating but he knew it wouldn't be good enough because he loved Bramz in a way that he could never love any woman. He couldn't deny the way Bramz made his heart flutter whenever he was around or how the sound of Bramz's voice could lift his mood when he was feeling like absolute crap and nobody else could. He also couldn't deny how cute Bramz was whenever he got angry on stream for screwing up a run. Damn, what was he going to do?

Truman tried to search his brain for even the slightest positive outcome to telling Bramz how he felt about him. It could make their relationship closer, maybe, but he knew there was also a possibility it would screw things up because Kylie was in the picture. No, the truth was better left under wraps. Because if even the slightest hint of what he felt inside was to get out or become public information, it would cause Kylie to become upset and it would throw the entire speed running community into an uproar – and that was the last thing he wanted or needed. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The sharp sound ripped him from his thoughts. "Huh?"

"Truman?" the voice called.

Truman recognized the voice as belonging to one of his roommates. Of course, it had to be one who annoyed him. He decided to answer but didn't bother to mask the annoyance in his voice. "Yeah?"

"Your uber is here dude, to take you to the airport. You finished packing?"

"Okay, and yeah I'll be down in like two minutes."

"Alright, buddy. I'll tell them to hold on for a moment."

Truman almost regretted his earlier hostility. He had no idea his roommate was trying to inform him that his ride was there…but of course, as with everything lately, his first instinct was to explode instead of be chill. Yet another side-effect of his feelings for Bramz. He wasn't able to control himself as well as he used to and he hated it. If only he could get things under control.

Truman looked around the room one last time and sighed. Instead of packing, he was letting thoughts of Bramz assault his mind. He couldn't believe how much the goofball was affecting him. If this was any indication of the hold Bramz had over him, he was scared to imagine how he'd be able to control himself when they were face to face, in person, after a few months of being apart.

Truman picked up a suitcase and started piling outfit after outfit into it. Afterwards, he put in a few pairs of socks and boxers, and then gave it a quick look through. He definitely had enough clothes to last him the week. And even if he didn't, there were sure to be a few stores within driving distance of the hotel. He was certain he'd be able to get a friend to drive him to one if the need arose.

Truman zipped up the suit case and picked it up with one hand, and then grabbed the smaller suit case on the floor (which he had already filled with toiletries and other things he would need) and went towards the door. He was happy that he wouldn't have to worry about streaming or school for the next week. No, his only worry would be Bramz.

* * *

"Hey, Truman."

Truman looked down at the text. It was from none other than Bramz. He wasn't expecting a text from him but was more than happy to receive one. He quickly shot a message back and waited for the response.

"What's up?" – Bramz.

"Nothing much, you?" – Truman.

"Not much, just practicing. Still can't stop messing up on this one part. I fucking suck, dude," – Bramz.

"Oh please, you don't suck you just need to stop being a little bitch before I see you and slap you again," – Truman.

"Wow, nice friend you are. We can't all be SMW gods like you." – Bramz.

Truman smiled and shook his head. He looked out the window and sighed. He hated being mean to Bramz but he knew without his constant criticism his friend would falter or maybe even quit speedrunning and he couldn't let that happen. If Bramz were to quit streaming their already limited time together would be limited even further. No, he had to give Bramz tough love and hope one day the tough part could be dropped and he'd be able to give him…real love.

"So you on your way?" – Bramz.

"Yeah, I am. In an uber going to the airport." – Truman.

"An uber? Wow. Someone must be getting a lot of donations." – Bramz.

"Ha, I wish. You on your way?" – Truman.

"Yeah. My flight leaves in a few hours. I'm just killing time." – Bramz.

"Ahh. That sounds boring." – Truman.

"Yeah. I tried to call Kylie but she didn't answer. I'm sad now." – Bramz.

Truman saw the text message and couldn't fight off the wave of sadness that formed in the core of his body. He knew it was probably not Bramz's intention but he couldn't help but feel like second-best, the alternative option. He had tried to call Kylie first and when she wasn't available Bramz shot him a message. That wasn't a good feeling. He wished he was the first thing on Bramz's mind like he was on his.

"You there?" – Bramz.

"Yeah, I'm here." – Truman.

"You didn't respond…thought you died or something." – Bramz.

"Nah, just thinking." – Truman.

"About?" – Bramz.

"It's not important." – Truman.

"Dude, you're like my best friend. Everything is important." – Bramz.

"Sure." – Truman.

"Dude…." – Bramz.

Truman put his phone down. He let out another sigh. He wished he could believe what Bramz had said but he was still wounded by the comment from earlier. Stuff like this was why he kept calm and even-headed so much. He hated emotions and what they did to people. He never wanted to be the one to let love destroy him like so many others he'd seen. But of course, he never expected to fall in love with Bramz. He was both his weakness and strength. Unfortunately, as of late, Bramz was just a weakness.

"Are you mad at me?" – Bramz.

"No, not mad…just not in a good mood." – Truman.

"Well dude, cheer up. GDQ is in like a day. There's no reason to be in a bad mood." – Bramz.

"I guess you're right." – Truman.

"I know I'm right, dude," – Bramz.

"Well…okay." – Truman. He threw another glance out the window and saw that he was just about at the airport. _"Finally,"_ he thought to himself.

"Anyway, I can't wait to see you, bro," – Bramz.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see you either." – Truman.

Truman locked his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. It wasn't a lie. He definitely couldn't wait to see Bramz but he didn't know how he was going to process …everything. He knew Bramz was probably going to spend a lot of time gushing about his new relationship and he didn't know how he was going to be able to handle it without breaking his trademark stoicism.

He wanted to be happy for his friend and be supportive but it was next to impossible to do those things when every fiber in your being was fighting and screaming in protest about being in love and wanting to let the person know about it.

"Hello?"

Truman blinked and snapped back into focus. He was staring into the face of a confused looking uber driver. "Huh?"

"We're here, at your destination," the man said, talking to Truman as if he were mentally challenged. "You were staring off into space and didn't respond for like three minutes."

"Oh, sorry…I was just thinking. I have a lot on my mind. How much do I owe you?"

"Fifteen dollars," the man replied, "and I'm glad it was just thinking…because I assumed you were like the rest of the kids your age and were hopped up on methamphetamines or giggle dust, or whatever."

Truman pulled fifteen dollars out of his wallet and handed it to the man. "No, I've never had any giggle dust, I wouldn't even know where to buy it." He hesitated before pulling an extra five out and then handing it to the man. He figured if the man had dealt with his temporary insanity he might as well deserve a tip for it.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, don't mention it." Truman stepped out of the car and pulled his luggage out of the uber's trunk. He made his way inside of the airport main area and to the front desk. The man at the counter had glasses, curly brown hair, and a name tag which read "Michael."

" _Jesus Christ, can't I go anywhere without being reminded of him?"_ Truman thought to himself, angrily.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"Yeah…I pre-registered online and whatever. I came to pick up my ticket to Virginia. Going to Dulles International."

"Ahh, yes," the man said. He rapidly tapped a few keys on his keyboard and looked down at Truman. "Name?"

"Truman *****."

The man punched a series of keys and then nodded. "Everything seems to be in order." He walked over to the printer and waited until it shot out a slip. He walked back to the front desk. "Alright, here you go."

Truman took the ticket from the man and did his best to smile. He wasn't really feeling in the mood to smile he was much too sad. He proceeded through the motions of getting through security, waiting in line, and boarding the airplane.

Truman found his seat, which lucky for him, happened to be a window seat. He put his luggage up at the top and left the smallest bag at his feet. He leaned back in his seat and prayed that there would be nobody sitting next to him so he could enjoy his flight without some random moron chatting him up. Hopefully he could at the very least have that.

He closed his eyes as he waited to take off.

* * *

"Hey, you ready to do this?"

Truman opened his eyes and was face to face with Bramz. He had to blink rapidly so his eyes could adjust to the darkness of the room but was shocked to find that both he and Bramz had their shirts off and were just sitting on a bed in their boxer shorts. He felt a strong blush coming on when he noticed that Bramz's boxers had tiny little Yoshis all over them. "What's going on?"

Bramz smiled mischievously. "I think you know."

"I don't know…where are we?"

"We're in a hotel room, obviously. And as for what's going on – why don't you tell me what could be going on with two people who are sitting in a bed…in a dark room…half naked."

Truman opened his mouth to respond but any words which could be articulated were lost in the kiss that Bramz forced on him.

Bramz had his hand at the back of Truman's head while his other hand was pulling the spiky haired boy closer against his body.

Truman protested at first but quickly gave in to his angry speedrunning friend. He felt nothing but intense passion surging through his body and had never been so turned on in his life. After what seemed like an eternity he was able to finally break the kiss and he looked at Bramz strangely. "Are you sure about this?"

"Obviously."

"I mean, what about Kylie?"

Bramz shrugged. "She's okay with this. Something about…you being a guy and her not considering it cheating vs. say a girl, you know?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, now shut up and stop talking so we can make things even more interesting."

"More…interesting?"

"Yeah," Bramz replied. He stepped off the bed and produced a small box. He opened the box and pulled out a long coil of thin, hemp rope. "It's time for some ropeW…IRL."

Truman just stared at Bramz, his mouth agape. He fought to steady his breath which was not being cooperative. "What…are you going to do?"

"Well," Bramz said matter-of-factly, "first I'm going to tie you up nice and tight…and then I'm going to have my way with you. I figure if I can't dominate you in SMW, I'll dominate you…in the bed room."

"Oh," Truman replied. This version of Bramz was so different than the one he was used to. This one was so confident, so sure of himself…and so hot – which wasn't a word he normally used for Bramz. Cute, yes. Adorable, yes. Hot? Not until that very moment but he definitely liked the change.

"Any objections?"

"Nope."

"Alright then, let's get started."

Truman braced himself for whatever Bramz had in store for him but as Bramz walked towards him everything went black.

* * *

Truman woke with a jerk. He quickly glanced around and found himself on the plane he had boarded earlier.

"Attention," a voice called from the loudspeakers. "This is your captain speaking. We will be arriving at Washington Dulles Airport in about ten minutes. Please remain in your seats until then. Thank you."

Truman cursed under his breath. He couldn't believe that it was all just a dream. He thought that Bramz was actually into him back and that they could be together without any problems. But it wasn't real. It was just his mind fucking with him again. He didn't know what he was going to do but he had to do something. He couldn't keep living with the torture of Bramz not knowing how he felt. This GDQ would be the time he'd let Bramz know. He just hoped that Bramz would be receptive to him.


End file.
